Physical Features
Frame
The OpenSTEM unit is built inside a light-weight, rolling aluminum frame allowing for easy and flexible movement.
The frame is 70"x79"x29" (excluding the 13" display case protrustion).
Zones
The OpenSTEM unit features three controlled growing environments (Zones), each capable of housing an independent experiment.
Each Zone features grow lights, water pumps, temperature and humidity sensors, and cooling fans.
Each Zone measures 44"x24"15".
Display Cases
The OpenSTEM unit features three display cases intended to house sponsor's phyiscal products, promos, and more.
Each display case features a spotlight and measures 10"x10"x10".
Monitors
The OpenSTEM unit features four 15" Full HD monitors.
Three of the monitors are designed to display sponsor's custom content, while the fourth serves as a programming interface for student researchers.
Water Reservoir
The OpenSTEM unit house a 40 gallon water reservoir in the bottom layer to provide vital nutrients to sustain plant life on schedule.
The reservoir is typically only filled to 20 gallons, and the unit remains light-weight and moveable.
Technology
Raspberry Pi
The "brain" of the OpenSTEM unit is comprised of a network of Raspberry Pi 4 Model B's.
These single-board computers are fully programable in a variety of languages, and are responsible for all sensor data uploading and environmental condition regulation.
Air Sensors
Each Zone of the OpenSTEM unit is equipped with a DHT22 sensor responsible for recording the environment's air temperature and humidity.
Water Sensors
The OpenSTEM unit's water reservoir contains pH, electrical conductivity, and temperature probes powered by an Atlas Scientific Wi-Fi Hydroponics Kit.
These probes work together to record the unit's water supply conditions.
Nutrient Pumps
An Atlas Scientific TRI-PMP-BX dosing pump is integrated into the OpenSTEM tech stack to permit regulation of the pH and electrical conductivity levels inside of the water reservoir.
3D Printer
The OpenSTEM unit houses a Bambu Labs X1-Carbon 3D printer where student researchers can design materials and equipment specific to their research, introduce themselves to the world of 3D printing, and more!
Workbench
The OpenSTEM unit features a small workbench area containing a variety of useful tools and equipment to further fuel student research.
Software
Cloud Database
The OpenSTEM unit is connected to an InfluxDB time series cloud database responsible for storing and querying all environmental sensor data for each zone.
Dashboard
OpenSTEM hosts a data visualization dashboard powered by Grafana to continuously monitor the unit's current and long-term environment conditions, while presenting this information in an intuitive and interactive format.